A Life of Gratitude

Our New Year's Eve parties look VERY different than they used to! And you know what, I wouldn't change that for anything! After having friends over for dinner and games this evening, we've been enjoying our family NYE tradition! The boys always love staying up until midnight in our bedroom. They watch movies in their sleeping bags and then the ball drop at midnight! Of course there will be lots of cheering and hugging at 12:00am too!   I also got out the "fancy glasses" as Evan calls them so the boys could make a  toast to the New Year. They drank sparkling grape juice and thought it was the coolest thing ever! Today I am grateful for our New Year's Eve family traditions. We have so much fun together and each year it gets more and more special!  I have so many wonderful memories made in 2017, most especially the birth of my baby girl!! I will always remember 2017 the year that our family became complete! Our celebration tonight is such ...

Does anyone else agree that sometimes this life is just plain hard? There are so many things in life that we will never completely understand. Things happen that can cause us to feel worthless, forgotten, and easily replaceable. I know that sounds dramatic, but its true. It's a lot like garbage really. Everything sitting in your trashcan right now is worthless, forgotten and/or easily replaceable. Situations, people, and circumstances can make us feel just like that now and then.  I currently feel like garbage. I feel thrown away.  Although this circumstance is something that I wish wasn't happening, God has shown me something incredible through it. This evening my heart was hurting. I've been trying to hide this pain from my boys but I couldn't hide it any longer. As they saw the tears streaming down my face, they became the most supportive, loving, compassionate little guys I've ever met. Right there, in the middle of feeling like garbage, God used my 9...

"You may have a brain tumor," are not the words you ever expect to hear from your doctor's mouth. Especially the week before Christmas and even more especially, when you have four small children! Earlier this week, while at a follow-up appointment for a nodule in my thyroid, my doctor noticed some alarming numbers in my lab work and because of some of serious symptoms I've been dealing with, she muttered those words. After several more tests, days of waiting, and a whole lot of praying, the results came back that I do NOT have a brain tumor! Praise God! As you can imagine, this week has been hard. Instead of being excited about Christmas and enjoying the time I spent baking cookies with my kids, wrapping presents, and watching old Christmas movies, I spent the week feeling pretty overwhelmed, not knowing what the future holds. And even with the news that there is no tumor, I still have the concerning lab work and serious symptoms that need a diagnosis, so the unk...

A year ago, in December, we found out that our fourth child would be a baby girl! I got the news when the nurse from the doctor's office called to tell me the results of our DNA test. She said that I would be having a daughter! I went straight to Target to buy silly string for the boys to use for our gender reveal. While I was there, I bought this adorable outfit.  When I saw this shirt I just had to buy it! After having 3 boys, the third of which was a total shock, I really wasn't sure it was possible for me to carry a girl....haha! Hearing the news that that the baby was, in fact, a girl---was so shocking and exciting!  Today my baby girl wore the very first outfit I bought for her and it just warmed my heart! That sweet smile is proof that with God, anything is possible!    Today I am grateful that anything is possible with God. I really wasn't sure I would ever have a daughter, and honestly, that would have been just fine. But after plannin...

My heart has been hurting this week, just dealing with some hard things right now. Evan knows no details as to why I've been upset but he is always so aware and so concerned for others. He has been very compassionate, taking care of me and making sure I feel loved. This evening he wanted to help me feel happy so he planned a "date night" for just the two of us. He did everything ALL by himself! He made the coffee table into our dining table, covering it with a blanket from the closet. He pulled out assorted candies and cookies and made a centerpiece with them. He got down the "fancy glasses," as he calls them. He put out napkins and silverware to set the table and then he served me.  We sat together, just the two of us, talking and laughing. He kept telling me the cutest stories and jokes.  He got me more pizza after I'd eaten my first piece and wouldn't let me lift a finger. He even wore a tie for the occasion. He worked so hard to make the e...

A snowy day is a great day to bake! So, we decided to make Moravian cookies. These are such a special Christmas tradition for me. I remember making these cookies with my Grandma Davis every year since I was a tiny girl. Now I make them each Christmas with my children. We use her rolling pin, her rolling board, her cookie cutters, and of course her recipe. I can almost feel her smiling as we continue her tradition. Allison enjoyed watching us! As I roll out the cookie dough and make it paper thin, just as Grandma used to do, I can't help but think about her. She had 4 children just like me. 3 boys and 1 girl, just like me. I wonder, did she feel inadequate like I do? Did her babies sleep through the night? Did she take her kids on playdates? Did she feel exhausted and weary, like I do? Did she have a lot of friends when her children were little? Were there days she just wanted to cry because she couldn't be everything she needed/wanted to be? Did she...

Every year we go with our friends, The Almodovar Family, to visit Santa. This has been a tradition since Dylan and Hugo were 6 months old. So, this is our 10th year starting our Christmas Season off this way! My, how things have changed in 10 years!!!!  For the first time we decided to have a photo made with all of the kids together and ya know what, a Christmas miracle occurred! We got a picture with all 7 children looking and there were no funny faces or screaming children! I am so thrilled with how the photo turned out! Isn't it amazing??? 7 kids- all looking, none screaming!!  I am also pleased with how this turned out also!! Look at these sweet blessings! Allison couldn't take her eyes off Santa! It's Allison's first Christmas!! Today I am grateful for wonderful friends to celebrate with! Bryan and I have been friends with Hugo and Amanda since we were in college. Our first-born sons were born only 2 weeks apart! These life long f...

I honestly cannot even wrap my mind around the fact this little lady has been a part of our family for 6 months already! Seriously, half a year???? Where has the time gone? I feel like I was just in the hospital, holding her for the first time. Allison Elizabeth is the sweetest, most laid back baby ever! She is content almost all of the time. She laughs like crazy at her brothers and loves their attention! She enjoys playing with her feet and strolling through the house in her walker. Her favorite toy is her rattle but she loves to chew on any toy she's given. She rolls all over and is trying to scoot. She gives open mouth kisses too! Oh, and today she was trying to sit up on her own!  I'm not sure how 6 months have gone by so quickly (especially when the last 6 weeks of pregnancy went by soooooo slowly). However, I am having so much fun watching this little gal grow and develop. She is so much fun to be with and love on. God has truly blessed our family with th...

Take a good look at this photo.... a nativity design by Tyson, my 3 year old son. This is actually one of my favorite Christmas decorations. Its a nativity made by Willow Tree. The stable was handmade by a friend but the rest of the pieces are bought in small sets. I've been collecting them over the years because they're not cheap.  I know, I know, I probably shouldn't let my 3 year old play with it but I don't ever want him to feel like the story of Jesus' birth is something he can't engage with. So, I let him play with my expensive nativity scene and ya know, I love watching him!  After dinner he was playing with the set and talking in his quiet little voice. I'm not sure what he was saying but it was something about the animals coming to see the baby Jesus. For a while the angel and Jesus were hanging out in the stable together but this is the way he left it, in a scattered mess.  The OCD part of me immediately wanted to put it back the way its ...

I turn the page on this calendar everyday and most days I just read it and forget it but today, I really liked the little thought. It's something I try to do often but honestly, life is too crazy and busy to sit quietly and rest contentedly very often. Miraculously, I found some time today to just sit and truly ponder God's goodness and faithfulness. This evening we had Thanksgiving dinner at Bryan's Mom and Dad's house. I spent my first Thanksgiving at their home in 1996! I've spent EVERY Thanksgiving with Bryan's family since then! That is TWENTY-ONE years!!!! What????  For many years we traveled to Pennsylvania to see Bryan's grandparents for Thanksgiving but now, we are back to the original tradition of having Thanksgiving dinner at his Mom and Dad's house. Tonight, after dinner, our kids helped their Grandma get all of her Christmas decorations down from the attic. While they were doing that, I sat in the living room rocking Allison i...

This evening, after dinner, our family read the story, "God gave us Thankful Hearts." Then we discussed all the blessings we've been given by God and shared things we are thankful for. I loved hearing the boy's responses. They even thought of some things that Allison is probably grateful for. We also made a Thanksgiving wreath. The boys wrote the things they are grateful for on the leaves. Tyson even scribbled on some. I love seeing the finished product with my boy's handwriting on it! Today I am grateful for this Thanksgiving Season. It's probably no surprise that I love this time of year. I love when folks take the time to share what they're thankful for! That's why I started this blog, A Life of Gratitude, anyway. I love making gratitude a part of my everyday life since honestly, focusing on the good in our lives truly makes everything better. I am also grateful for the chance to listen to my little ones share all the ...

This evening Bryan and I had the honor of dedicating our sweet baby girl to the Lord.  We are simply acknowledging that this darling girl is a gift from God and that we will pour truth and love into her. We will pray for her, teach her, and lead her to the Father. We know that He created her with a purpose and a plan and we vow to raise her for HIS glory! We were asked to pray and ask God to give us words that reveal a little about who He created Allison to be. After Bryan and I prayed separately, we shared our words and realized that God had spoken many of the same words for Allison to each of us.   Allison will be a helper, a  joy-bringer ( Proverbs 10:28,  Romans 15:13),  compassionate, a sweet aroma (2 Corinthians 2:15) a listener, a healer, kind and an encourager. How amazing is it to know these things about our little princess?! This is who she will become as we point her to her Heavenly Father. Allison Elizabeth Shaw ...

This afternoon two fellow Homeschool Mommas and all our youngins' packed shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child. It was loud and wild and chaotic but it was also a lot of fun. The kids enjoyed picking the items for each box, packing the boxes, and then praying together for the kids that will receive the boxes. The whole gang....except Tyson....he refused to be in the picture     Praying for the boxes and the children that will receive them Today I am grateful for the sweet friends that God has blessed us with. Since we all homeschool, we're able to get together on a Wednesday afternoon to pack shoe boxes. Plus, its really nice to be with other homeschool moms....only other homeschool moms can truly understand the craziness of my home on a Wednesday afternoon! I am also thankful for the fun service projects that we've been able to be apart of so far this school year. Its super important to me for our kiddos to learn the importance of putting others ...